Thill-coupling



(No Model.) AIIEI THILL COUPLING.

No. 283,827. Patented Aug. 28, 1883.

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, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. STAFFORD, OF GALESBURG, MICHIGAN.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,827, dated August 28, 1883.

Application filed February 26, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. STAFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gales burg, county of Kalamazoo, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Thill- Coupler, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object certain improvements on former means of coupling thills and poles to vehicles, whereby the operation is facilitated.

In the drawings forming apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a side view of an axle-clip and thill, the latter broken away and the axle in cross-section; Fig. 2, front view of axle and crosssection of clip-eye on a line with the coupling-bolt; Fig. 3, same, showing an equivalent construction; Fig. 4, aheaded couplingbolt; Fig. 5, thill-eye; Fig. 6, aheadless coupling-bolt, and Fig. 7 a change in constructing the clip-eye.

B is the axle of a vehicle; I the axle-clip; F, the clip-eye; D, the thill-iron, and f the thill-eye.

The coupling is effected by a loose bolt, (1, with or without a head, which bolt is held in place by a bolt-button, v, at one end of the eye F, or by a bolt-button at each end, as in Figs. 2 and 3.

111 Fig. 2 the hole in the clip-eye F is countersunk at one end to receive the head of bolt a. When thus constructed, only one button, 0), is needed. If preferred, one end of the hole in the clip-eye may be made closed, as in Fig. 7 at F, when a headless bolt may be used, Fig. 6, and only one bolt-button, instead of two, as in Fig. 3. The bolt-button '0 is circular in form, and is pivoted at its upper side to the clip-eye, directly over the bolt-hole. Thus the button, being of equal weight each side of 40 a vertical line intercepting its point of pivoting, falls to place by gravity-that is, it falls to a position vertically square over the bolthole, and is held in said position by gravity, for, though it may swing on its pivot by the motion of the vehicle, its constant tendency-is to seek its normal position, and hence the bolt hole'is never uncovered by said swinging sufficiently to allowthe bolt to work out of the eye. A stud, 0', projects at right angles from the face of the bolt-button, at the lower side, to take hold of when holding the button swung up in removing or inserting the bolt in the clip-eye.

I am aware that thill-eyes have previously been provided with a pivoted button for holding inthe coupling-bolt; hence I do not claim such as my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is In a thill-coupling of the style described, a thill-eye provided with a circular bolt-button vertically balanced in aswinging position over the mouth of the bolt-hole by a pivot secured to the eye above said hole, substantially as shown.

In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT E. STAFFORD.

Witnesses:

J. R. MCBRIDE, E. EISEMAN. 

